US Airways has unveiled Goodrich as the likely supplier of electronic flight bags (EFB) for 20 Airbus A319s as part of a FAA-funded programme to gather runway safety data.
FAA awarded four carriers a total of $2.4 million in September 2008 for installation of EFBs featuring moving map displays or aural runway systems allowing the agency to gather operational data from the equipment.
The operators plan to use the EFBs at airports with a history of runway incursions FAA believes could have been prevented by using the technology included in the EFB.
Today at an US Airways media event carrier SVP of flight operations/inflight SVP Ed Bular told ATI the airline was in the last stages with talks with Goodrich on a supplier contract for the EFBs.
US Airways was specifically awarded $600,000 for the equipage of 20 Airbus A319s and an undisclosed number of Dash 8 aircraft operated by its wholly-owned regional subsidiary Piedmont Airlines.
Other carriers that received funding were regional operators SkyWest and Southwest Airlines. FAA's original deadline for installation of the EFBs was 19 May 2009.
US Airways today also is signing a final contract with avionics supplier ACSS to equip up to 20 Airbus A330s for testing of automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) at Philadelphia airport. US Airways is likely to start testing "SafeRoute" at the airport in May. FAA, ACSS and US Airways signed a wide-ranging deal in January that allows for consideration of a number of next generation air traffic control system technologies at select locations. Those technologies include Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP).
FAA is awarding ACSS $6 million to equip the US Airways A330s, but the carrier expects to incur expenses in areas such as pilot training.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
